


Waltz for the Wicked

by cleopatras



Series: Sins of the Flesh [2]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Victorian, Ballroom Dancing, Enemies to Lovers, Eye Contact, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Sexism, Waltzing, but nothing graphic, it's about the yearning, references to sexual content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 23:01:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29616762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cleopatras/pseuds/cleopatras
Summary: “I… I ache for you, Clay.”“Then show me.”—as a part of marriage season, Dream must attend a ball. However, he only has eyes on one person in the room.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: Sins of the Flesh [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2175735
Comments: 13
Kudos: 220





	Waltz for the Wicked

Dressing up for a ball while covering up an aging gunshot wound was not the ideal situation Dream wished to be in, but alas, he was a man of marrying age so he was forced to attend these ridiculous social outings. Still, he walked down the stairs as if nothing was wrong, joining his sisters in their extravagant gowns and dance cards tied around dainty wrists. At least he still had his youngest, Helena, to hold onto, but she would be marrying age soon enough. It pained him to watch his other two sisters parade around with men at these balls, searching for a husband. He knew both he and his mother weren’t quite ready to let them go yet. Still, it made them happy and that was what mattered most to him. 

“All right then, let’s get this show on the road then. Clay, darling, do you know if Niki will be joining us in our carriage or is she riding with her family?” his mother asked him, since he was usually the one who knew Niki’s whereabouts. 

He sighed as his mother stroked his cheek with her gloved hand, “I’m afraid she’s rather angry with me, so she’ll be taking her own carriage tonight.”

The woman laughed at this, “What have you done to piss her off now?” _Get shot and not tell her about it._

“I made fun of one of her suitors,” he lied as the five of them exited their estate and began to load into the awaiting carriage. “But in my defense, he had hair sticking out of his ears. A heinous sight if you ask me.”

“Only the best for Lady Weberton, I suppose,” the woman chuckled as they all settled in. 

“Are you ever going to ask for Niki’s hand?” his eldest sister, only two years his junior, Adelia, asked, nudging him gently by the shoulder. 

Against his will, his mind recalled two nights earlier with George, getting to know each other biblically by the candlelight. He hoped the recollection did not show on his face, for he knew if he blushed at this moment his sisters would likely assume he held any sort of romantic affections for Niki, which would be the worst assumption they could make.

They didn’t seem to notice any hesitation, so he simply let out a gentle laugh and reminded them, “You ladies know I am not looking to marry any time soon.”

“You’re going to have to at some point,” his mother reminded, “Must carry on our name, since these girls will be giving it up soon enough.”

“Yes, I am aware, mother,” he spoke through gritted teeth, barely able to disguise his irritation. Every day he cursed the fact he was the only man in the family, meaning if they wanted their name to carry on he must be the one to marry and have children. 

The family remained mostly silent for the rest of the journey, pulling up outside of the estate of some Lord and Lady Clay need not bother remembering the name of. He assisted his sisters in leaving the carriage before entering the party which was almost already in full swing. Instantly, he grabbed a glass of champagne and began to sip slowly, mingling through the party as he said hello to too many acquaintances to count. 

“Lord Devonte, how lovely to see you!” a girl who was probably in her first marriage season whom he did not recognize approached him with a bashful smile and a glass of champagne in her hand. Her dance card was unmarked and he did not intend to change that, but she seemed to. It was almost as if she could sense the lack of recognition in her eyes so she held out a gloved hand, “Lady Remington, I’m sure you remember, but you may call me Melinda.”

“Of course, Lady Remington,” he made sure _not_ to call her by her first name as he took her gloved hand and pressed it gently against his lips. “I’m afraid there are others I must greet, but I will be sure to grace your presence later in the evening.”

“I look forward to it,” the girl mused, but he could see the disappointment in her eyes. Still, he pushed past her, unbothered by the fact that she clearly had wanted him to ask her to dance. Any Lady who knew him at all should know he never asks for a dance. He tells them it’s because he has a horrible waltz and they believe him well enough, but it never stops them from looking at him expectantly waiting for them to be the exception. 

He brushes past a few married women chatting, noticing how all of their eyes land on him. Dream smiled politely before looking for the one person he truly did want to talk to.

“Niki,” he greeted once he found her, but the girl only huffed in acknowledgment of his presence. “When are you going to cease being cross with me?”

“When you give me a valid reason as to why you wouldn’t tell me you were _shot,”_ she spoke through gritted teeth as she watched the dancing crowd. Her dance card has one slot marked off and he wonders who Niki allowed to dance with her. “Wilbur, if you were wondering. Purely for appearances, of course. His mother hates me and he lives to anger his mother.” 

Dream scoffed at this, “I didn’t want you to worry about me, I was perfectly fine.”

“So what? You just bandaged yourself up then?” she glared at him from the side, “I could have helped, I wouldn’t have been angry with you.”

“You absolutely would have.”

“Don’t assume, it’s rude,” Niki chastised, taking a sip of her champagne, “I suppose I may have been a little angry. But that is simply because I think dueling is idiotic and a useless display of violence over what? George’s sister? Pride? It’s stupid.”

“Speaking of George, have you seen him?” Dream asked, trying not to be overly suspicious. They did agree to keep up appearances of a petty rivalry, so asking where he was would most certainly be a bad idea, but he couldn’t help it. He hadn’t seen George since that night and he would be the first to admit he ached for more. 

Niki turned to look at him fully with a raised eyebrow, “Why? Looking to get shot again?”

“ _No,”_ Dream met her eyes and he had the terrifying feeling that she was aware of his lies. “I wanted to thank him for dropping the matter of his sister’s honor, which I hope he believes now, remains to be fully intact.”

“Men,” she scoffed, “What are they even good for?”

“Marrying your sorry ass,” he joked, trying to hold in his smile as the woman beside him gasped, smacking him on the arm. “I’m sorry! I couldn’t resist! You know you love me.”

“I do and I regret every moment of it,” Niki rolled her eyes as she turned to the dance floor, nodding to point someone out, “Well, there’s his sister, so I’m sure George is around here somewhere.” 

Moments later, he found George. The man was off to the side, across the room, staring at the people dancing while he sipped champagne in solitude. His gaze raked over the man, blending his sights with the fragments of memory from that night. George’s lips on his neck, hands roaming everywhere they could reach. He shivered at the remembrance. Their eyes meet and he turns away at the same moment. 

“Niki, would you like to dance?” he asked in a momentary panic, already knowing that George’s eyes still rest on him. At the woman’s look of annoyance, he bargained, “Would you rather it be me or some caller you would rather get rid of?”

“I hate you,” she groaned and held out her palm. 

Right away, he felt eyes belonging to more than just George on them as they took to the floor. At the risk of sounding arrogant, he knew there were more than a handful of women in this room that would rather be in Niki’s position, but Dream would never give them the chance. As he began to waltz with the shorter girl, he watched as George approached Lady Remington, asking her to dance. As the music began to rise, his eyes met George’s once more, this time over the shoulders of their respective partners. He could practically feel the burn from the hands on his skin from all the way across the room, yearning for more. George’s gaze burns as they dance, their eyes never leaving each other’s for more than a moment. 

“You are focused on someone else,” Niki whispered in his ear, “care to tell me who you aim to make jealous at the moment? You’re lucky I am okay with being your pawn.”

“Would you hate me if I said I do not wish to tell you?” Dream answered as he spun the woman with ease and grace, Niki leading the dance more than he was. His being horrible at the waltz may have been a half-truth, if he is being perfectly candid.

“I would rather you be honest with me than lie,” she whispered in response, leaning in close as if almost kissing his ear, knowing just how to play her part. It seemed to do the trick because he watched as George pulled his partner closer to him to where it may almost be considered scandalous. “But do not think you will get away with that answer for long.”

Dream smiled coyly, looking away from George for just a moment as he leaned in close to Niki, “The truth is not something that benefits me here, to be honest, Niki.”

“I would rather the truth than not, you know this.”

“That I do.”

The music ended and he and Niki separated. He kissed her hand as a show of respect before telling her, “I’m afraid I must part, but you know I will catch up with you later.”

“Do not do anything stupid,” she chastised as she let go of him, retreating back to where they had been standing before the dance. 

As he watched her go, his eyes darted back to George, muttering under his breath, “No promises.” 

He left the ball entirely, hoping he was being followed by the person he wished. Dream walked through the maze of a garden of this estate, finding a bench that seemed to be a place of solitude hidden away from any party-goers or intruding eyes. 

“You put on quite a show back there, Clay. Or, Lord Devonte, as I should address you properly in public,” a voice interrupted the quiet and a smile found its way onto Dream’s face, knowing his plan worked just as he had hoped. 

“Hm, you played into it just as well,” he mused as the man took a seat beside him. “Poor Lady Remington. You know, she was aiming for a dance from me first.”

George laughed at this, “Yes, as was every lady in the room, I am not an idiot. The other Lord’s and I are very much used to being everyone’s second choice the moment you enter a party.”

“Well, the ladies are all my second choice regardless as there was only one person I hoped to see tonight,” Clay admitted under the secrecy of moonlight, enamored in the way the pale light created dark shadows on the man’s skin beside him. 

“Ah, and who was the lucky lady? Not Lady Weberton, I’m sure,” George teased, a small knowing smile forming on his face. 

“He is not a lady at all, I’m afraid,” Dream sighed, keeping his eyes on the stars, “He lacks the manners.” 

George laughed, “My pride, you wound it.”

“It is only fitting seeing as you ruined my reputation.”

“As if your name could ever be tarnished.”

“Should someone see us tonight, it may as well be.”

At the moment the words left his lips, their eyes met beneath the moon and the stars, an unspoken understanding of one another and what a meeting like this means for them. Dream would be foolish to think the night was going to be a one time thing, for he knows this is more to him than that and it has been for longer than he understood. It is a dangerous thing to acknowledge and he can see it in George’s eyes that the man is aware of this as well. Still, to stop now would do nothing to cease the painful yearning for one another. 

“George,” it’s a whisper, a silent question. 

“I know,” is all the man said in response, his eyes darting down to Dream’s lips in a way that shows they both understand what they want. Still, George looked away, not acting on his desires just yet. “I… I ache for you, Clay.” 

Dream did not respond, instead, he reached out and placed a gentle hand on George’s chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. In the night, he whispered, “Then show me.” 

This was the last push George needed as he grabbed Dream by the back of the neck, meeting their lips in the way they both had been craving all night. Dream wanted nothing more than to feel the warmth of the other once more, the emotion clouding his mind so it was all he had been able to think about for days. He was enamored by George and the way his hands felt on the back of his neck, begging to pull him closer. 

“This is a dangerous game and you know it, Clay,” George whispered in between them, his pale fingers intertwining into dirty blond hair. Their foreheads pressed against each other and Clay did not respond, opting to chase George’s lips instead, but the dark-haired man pulled back. “ _Clay._ What if we’re seen?”

“I have enough money to make sure no one would even dare speak of this if they saw,” Dream countered, “but if that truly is your fear, I will happily take this back to my estate.” 

“We cannot keep doing this,” George spoke but went against his words as he met Dream’s lips once more, desperation blatant in his bruising kiss. 

“Then why do I want it so badly?” the blond asked, grabbing and pulling George even tighter. He hoped his want was translated in his touch, in the way his hands gripped the back of George’s collar, keeping him close. “I know you want this, too, you cannot lie to me, George.”

George scoffed, pulling away for just a moment, “I could not lie to you if I tried. No part of me wishes for this to stop. However, there is something I need to know before we carry on.” 

“Well, what is it? I will tell you anything you wish to learn.”

His expression darkened as their eyes met once more, moonlight reflecting in George’s dark eyes. His voice is low, calculated, “This is… my feelings for you are more than some sordid affair, they always have been and they will continue to be. I need… I need to know if it is the same for you. If it is not then I am afraid we must cease this at once for the sake of my emotions and my pride.” 

“George,” Dream whispered, leaning in close and pressing a kiss to the skin on his neck just beneath his ear. “ _I ache for you, too.”_

**Author's Note:**

> hi I hope y'all don't mind I decided to continue these one-shots. It might not always focus on DNF, but I really like this au so I would like to expand this universe a bit more!
> 
> follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/nicowritess) for writing updates and just me rambling


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